Between The Bars
by ideoteque
Summary: as the trio departs from hogwarts for the last time, everything seems to be in its place. ron and hermione are about to announce an engagement, and everyone is thrilled. but as true love splits, things get turned upside down. anwarning: will throw you off
1. Prelude

_+prelude_

a rather scruffy, gangly red headed boy made his way across the feild. it was far too early for daylight, one, two, or possibly three o'clock in the morning. he wasn't quite sure where exactly he was headed too, all he told his brothers was that he needed some air and was going to take a walk...bitter cold, it was, possibly even below freezing. he plunged his hands into the deep pockets of that slighty oversized wool coat, and as he raised his right hand back to his lips, an unlit cigarette nestled between them. of course, he lit it by magic, mumbling some charm, and watched the smoke linger around him.

he finaly halted, as a snowy white owl crossed his path, dropping a thick envelope infront of him, and smiling to himself and inhaling the smoke, he bent over to pick up the envelope...

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**a.n **this prelude probably wont make sense until the fourth chapter or so, but it'll all fall into place eventually, this fanfic is gnawing away at my brain, what have i gotten myself into?

-i


	2. Farewells

**+chapter one**

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"So 'ow does is feel, Harry?" a rough voice called out from a few yards away,

"How does what feel, Hagrid?"

"Oh, ya' know, graduatin' an' all...Leavin Hogwarts for the possibly last time."

Harry Potter sighed deeply, and looked at his sneakers,

"Honestly...I don't like this feeling of not being able to come back to the very place that I love the most."

Hagrid sighed along side him, catching up to the boy now, his heavy step throwing the boy off balance,

"Eh, well, you know tha' you'll always have this place in your mind, and HEY! I know, anytime you feel lonley, come an' visit me and Fang, I know he'll appreciate it as much as I will."

Harry smiled, and looked up at his friend, "Thanks Hagrid...Now I'd better get going", and he jogged away from teh tearful Hagrid in time to catch up to a tall red haired boy, who was holding hands with a slightly bushy haired girl.

"So, did you guys decide anything yet?" Harry motioned towards their hands, smiling lightly. Hermione and Ron shook their heads,

"We don't really know what to do next..." Ron mumbled, looking off towards the lake as the giant squid raised a tentacle and splashed a few third years who had gotten to close to his territory. Momentarily, his eyes darted back around to study Hermione and Harry's faces, and for a second he thought that he could fell Hermione's usually warm grip on his hand slacken and grow cold.

Hermione shrugged, "..We don't think Ron's mum is going to be too pleased with the whole 'married as soon as school finishes thing'...And my parents will just, I don't know, my mum's old fashion-like, so she'll probably approve." She looked at the ground, and then to Ron, giving him a beautiful smile, and he felt slightly reassured.

"Well, whatever it is, I wish you guys the best...Now don't we have some goodbyes to say?" Harry said, grinning suddenly from ear to ear. The three nodded and set off towards the castle, suprisingly in silence, but smiling all the while. Harry kept sneaking glances of the two's hands entwined, and then the joyful expression on his face slackened slightly.

And up the stairs the three ascended, sucked into a sea of what was sobbing seventh years and parents, bidding their final goodbyes to the school they loved to well. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were aproached by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who clutched them all tightly enough,

"Mom! Ugh! You're embarassing me!" Ron slinked out from under his mother's grip, pink-faced and attempting to hide it. Harry and Hermione sniggerd slightly at him, luckily Mrs. Weasley didn't notice the two lover's hands break from their grip, or there would've been more of an embarassing display to be seen.

"So, Harry, Hermione," Mr. Weasley nodded at them both, "Coming with us, are you?"

At the question, the two nodded and Hermione said, "We're very appreciative of you to come and get us, seeing as my parents can't get here and Harry dosen't have a place to stay on his own yet." Harry nodded in agreement, smiling, but seemed to be at a loss for words.

Mr. Weasley nodded and turned to speak with Ron and Mrs. Weasley. Harry sighed, "Thanks for that Hermione...I just couldn't spit the right words out...again."

Hermione shrugged, "No problem, really," she smiled, then moved off to attempt to gather a few words from Professor Snape.

Harry stood incredibly still, and felt as if he could feel everyone in the whole corridor breathing, and his stomach sank to his ankles.

'So this is what it's like.'

**

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a.n** eh well, its flowing out of me now, expect things to start happening now that i got the hogwarts scene over. NO MORE HOGWARTS. 

this one's for chelsea! 3


	3. Summer Skin

Ron breathed in the sweet smell of breakfast as he came down the stairs. It was early, early enough for his mother and father to be the only people in the house awake, minus himself. It was a kind of calm he hadn't experienced much, being alone with his parents, his dad reading _The Daily Prophet_, his mum enchanting butter knives for the toast and arranging eggs and bacon on several plates at once.

"G'Morning Ronald, dear," His mother greeted him happily, sending a plate crammed full of toast, eggs and bacon to the table, "Go on and eat up while its still hot!"

Ron shrugged and sat down, "Thanks, mum."

As he went to pick up his fork, Hermione and Harry came down the stairs whispering and laughing. Hermione snuck Ron a peck on the cheek while everyone else was preoccupied and sat on his left side, Harry watched her kiss him, and took the chair on his right. Two plates were whizzed towards them, and settled infront of their recipients.

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley." Harry said.

A few hours later, the two boys found themselves outside.

It was one of those spectacular June days that made one feel incredible. Ron walked up the steep hill where a few years prior, they had found a portkey to the quidditch world cup. He was a few steps infront of Harry, for he had been racing him up the hill. Hermione was back at the house with Ginny.

Ron plopped himself down on the highest point of the hill just as Harry became level with him, looking out beyond the hill, the feilds newly dried from the early morning dew. Harry slowly sat down next to him, facing the opposite way, looking to the trees and the brush they had emerged from.

"So what do you and Hermione have planned to tell your parents?" Harry said, ruffling his own hair.

Ron shrugged coolly, "Not quite sure...We're thinking about living in a muggle neighborhood and all, you know...I don't even know what I want to even do for the rest of my life."

Harry watched Ron fall backwards, the tall grass engulfing his friend like a midmorning snack, "That makes sense. How do you think you're going to even tell them about the engagement?"

There was a silence between them for several minutes, Harry a flock of birds overhead retreat to a line of trees. He exhaled, ruffling his hair again in a nervous manor. Ron had his eyes closed, trying to materialize all of his thoughts at once,

"How do you know if you're even sure if you want to get married or not?"

Harry nearly started laughing, "What do you mean?"

Ron sat up, "Hermione is the one who proposed to me, and I didn't technically say yes...I just kinda leaned over and kissed her an' all."

Harry chuckled lightly, "Ron, that's pretty much accepting it."

Ron shoved made a face, "I mean, its the fact that the more I think about it, the more unsure I am about it all, I'm just a kid, I'm not nineteen yet, I don't have a job, I don't even know if I am really in love with her or not," Ron threw himself back against the earth, "Harry! What the hell have I gotten myself into?"

There was momentary silence again, but it was broken by Hermione and Ginny running up the hill. They both arrived at the top out of breath and starry-eyed. Hermione immediantly seated herself as close to Ron as possible without sitting in his lap, and Ginny just sat a few feet away from Harry.

"So what have you boys been doing up here?" Hermione asked, leaning against Ron.

"Mannnnnnnly things." Harry said, in a pseudo-masculine tone of voice, causing everyone, including himself, to laugh slightly...And then there was that kind of silence again that made Ron feel incredibly foreign as he felt his and Hermione's hands become entertwined.

Ginny looked to the two, and then looked to Harry, who noticed the look, and smiled.

"So where are mum and dad going today, Ginny?" Ron asked, playing with a strand of Hermione's hair, and not taking his eyes away from hers.

"Well dad's going to work, and mum's going to visit a friend in Nottingham." Ginny replied, idly plucking a white clover and throwing it beyond her feet, where it fell down the hill.

Ron and Hermione gave each other a look and then stood up,

"Don't come around the house for awhile, alright?"

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a/n : tehe. 


End file.
